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Towing with BILSTEIN RCD Shocks on a 6 inch lift with air lift 5000 bags

7K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  Blender 
#1 ·
#2 ·
ibtl...

Truck looks great and all, but I think you already know this is going to get shut down eventually... What are the specs on your trailer? I've always been curios about the effects of a bracket lifted truck and some heavy trailering...
 
#7 ·
Yes I am over but I have had the dealer replace my rear bearings and I asked to see them they told me they were still good but of course you can’t tell until they are removed to inspect them completely. I got to see them but don’t ask me why I didn’t take a picture of them to show. The next thing I plan on doing is upgrading the rotors to HD dba kangaroo paw rotors and ceramic pads. I thought my brake pads and rotors would have worn down sooner but they still have over 70 percent front and 85 percent rear with 90 percent rotor. Maybe it’s due to me not being hard on the brakes, I’ve used them hard but not all the time.
 
#4 ·
I apologize I took a while to answer and I do think I will get trash but for the past three and a half years I’ve been doing well towing at speeds 75 and under..

Thank you both and both the truck and heritage glen are 2015s the truck now has 55468 one owner miles on it.. the heritage glen has an approx 9000miles..

The fiver got put on the back burner for three months because my wife gave birth sep 28th and when my daughter was 6 weeks old or basically Veterans Day is the last time we have taken it out this year..

It’s at the dealer so it’s not because we can’t it’s because I’m waiting on the dealer to upgrade my ac units to heat pumps as well both of them.


This rig as you see it has been from north mississippi to west Texas my home town El Paso. Using interstate 10 as primary through kerrville and the Guadalupe mountains.

Yes I am over on payload but upgrading the suspension wheels and drivetrain does wonders. Toyota loves to see this rig when I drive it in for them to service it. They love the air suspension. I do not have blocks on the struts in the front just solid ones in the rear. They all know the rig very well. They even asked if i have ever had issues with the short bed, I tell them all the time that it’s almost as if the truck and 5er were meant for each other. I have a slider hitch and I always keep it in the towing position. Never maneuvering. I have had to make u turns and it does get very close maybe 3inches to four from the cab but it works..

this is the fiver by itself with the front landing jacks on one part of the scale and the wheels on another.
this is the 5er hooked up to the truck using all three scales
 
#5 ·
Truck handles really well

I also have a full blown stereo system with three amps and an oem processor to keep the stock head unit.
Dual exhaust from engine back with a magnaflo muffler.
i apologize for the dirty suspension as I haven’t been able to wash the truck since it’s been starting to snow.
i also tow the boat which is 7200 lbs boat
and trailer.
or I use my Jeep to tow the boat





This post is just to allow those tundra owners who love their trucks and keep them maintained, and are worried that they are over their limit by 100 lbs can rest assured that they will be ok.. FYI I have never had the dealer tell me anything is voided on my warranty because of modifications. I do have a flexfuel and I had to have them remap it for me once because I added an stp fuel injector cleaner thinking I was doing something right after a long 2400 mile trip that I actually threw the computer for a loop. It remapped itself to run as if it was on 82 octane. Dealer laughed and said to use nothing higher than mid grade fuel and the cleaner being a higher octane caused the fuel air mixture change.
 
#9 ·
I unfortunately did not know about RCD until I called BILSTEIN (btw their customer service was amazing) directly so I only have the shocks for now!

I explained my situation on looking for HD shocks and that I had the airbags. They gave me the phone number to Race car dynamics and exact part numbers needed to accommodate the load and height requirement for the struts and rear shocks. The shaft is thicker and longer than the regular 5100 series, plus the front is still adjustable for four or 6 inch. I already had the full 6” lift by rough country which I think uses pro comps lowest end shocks, for off-road use they prob were ok as they were very spongy! They bilsteins I have now are way stiffer and I can swerve left to right let’s say slalom style and feel confident without body roll as before.. Best way to describe it is I can trust my wife driving the truck with our new born and her being able to swerve in an emergency left then immediate right without losing control at speeds of 70+mph.. my other vehicles are high performance vehicles that we are use to and I want this truck to be lifted and as close to those cars as possible..

When I tow the fifth wheel it definitely slows any rebounding from bridge or concrete joints and bumps along the interstate which was my main concern since I’m a bit nose high. Being nose high on the fifth wheel causes the truck to hold more hitch weight causing the pro comp shocks I use to have, have shock fade from the internal gas heating up. Now I don’t have that issue at all.


Very satisfied. If you are interested I will pass RCDs wholesalers number to you that supplies them. They have an east and west warehouse.
 
#11 ·
I had the same thought before I had my second bottle of Dew this morning.

Looks like someone is 1,800 lbs over his GCWR and 1,620 lbs over his TWR based on Toyota's published (GCWR & TWR) numbers and his scale numbers.

Just sayin'.
 
#13 ·
You guys are correct I am 1800 over on sae tow ratings! The truck and camper were purchased in late 2014 they are both 15s and i haven’t had any issues.. most of the weight is from the oversized wheels which affects bearings, breaking, shocks... each rim and tire tip the scale at about 130lbs. tires are 78lbs each by themselves. The rims are 22”x12” and eat up the difference making up the 130lbs for each wheel. Most this weight is not a carrying weight but a momentum weight.

Plus the cat scale tickets were a loaded weight with my wife, daughter, chihuahua, two rabbits, and I. Most my speeds are set with cruise control on level ground set to 65-70mph if there are a lot of hills I tend to drive with my foot not because it won’t keep speed but to preserve fuel economy.

This is the reason I have now upgraded to heavy duty rotors ceramic pads, and heavy duty bilsteins and springs to include airbags with upgraded internal bump stops..

The question is did any of this change the stability of the truck? Yes, it definitely did, I can corner and stop with confidence holding the load. Did I have problems before the upgrades? Honestly no I didn’t.. Most of the upgrades were influenced by what people say you can’t do on forums.. Surprisingly, either I got a well built truck from Toyota and not a Friday before the weekend build or better yet I know my rig. I hide nothing from my dealer and they know I tow heavy... I do visit three dealerships one named Allen Toyota, Ray Brandt toyota, and toyota of Slidell. Allen does my oil changes and maintenance because it’s on the way to Gulfport mississippi which my wife and I frequent a lot. Ray Brandt we use for dealer installed upgrades like suspension and alignments since they usually take longer to install we go to the mall for the day. Toyota of Slidell we use for courtesy wash jobs. Allen toyota has done the servicing on the differential and hub bearings. All looked as if the truck was a normal driven truck meaning all within tolerance and viscosity. The dealer clearly stated if the truck is not dogged and kept out of salt water it will last as it has 3/4 ton parts. I do know they aren’t the manufacturer, however, they see the trucks come in for service when the manufacturers just build and put price tags on their engineering aspects.

Next visit I am going to have them inspect all ball joints and hitch mounts.. As for the engine and transmission they are very well mated and work like a champ, the dealer actually wants me to purchase their magnuson supercharger and they want to consider a semi sponsorship to cover the labor.. I honestly don’t see the need for almost 150 horsepower more causing more fuel consumption. I could stand corrected because the torque gains also go up.

Look I was always a Chevy man for trucks, but somehow this damn Toyota has surprised the shit outta me!!! If they come out with a diesel I might consider it but I really don’t want to get rid of this truck because it does so well.. I do know what powerstroke, duramax, and Cummins feel like. I drive them at work for the government and we do push them hard.. can’t keep the f550 out of the shop for repairs the duramax seem to hold up decently and the Cummins well they aren’t bad. Could and will they pull the same load I have better than the tundra? Sure they can but simply put this tundra works for my family and fits in my garage and is fun as shit to drive.. I also don’t have any issues being passed or passing semis on the interstate from the turbulence or vacuum created. I have towed the fifth wheel in 30+ mph winds, usually at around 60-65mph give or take.

Main prob I have is I can’t keep my wife out of the damn truck she prefers driving that instead of her 2011 BMW F10550i dinan stage4..
l

My daily driver is a 2012 Jeep srt8 hence the like for performance handling.

The Cadillac is a 2014 XTS V


Hope you guys understand, my rig has fit my family needs and we have enjoyed it every bit...
 
#16 ·
Here are the phone numbers I have for the west and east coast wholesalers.

BILSTEIN gave me the RCD direct contact number but it’s no different than the one you see when you look up race car dynamics on line. When I called them that’s when they told me to contact Sean at the west coast side. At first I only wanted the rear shocks due to price, well he said let me call you back and he made me a hell of a deal that I ended up getting the fronts to. I did reuse my oem front spring to keep my same spring rate. I also told him that I had rough country’s 6” lift. He said perfect.

So far I would say I have been very impressed..

hope this helps you out..
 
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